Anurag Kashyap’s rivalry with Ram Gopal Varma, his one-time mentor and past-collaborator, is the kind of stuff epic Twitter wars are made of.

In an episode of Koffee With Karan from February 2014, Kashyap, on being asked by host Karan Johar “Ram Gopal Varma is…” completed the sentence by saying “Ram Gopal Varma was…not is”. When Bombay Velvet (2015) tanked at the box-office last year, Varma wasted no time in calling it the 'Aag' of Kashyap's career, a clever, self-deprecating jab at his former friend.

In a fresh turn of events, Varma, on Wednesday, announced the release date of his biopic on sandalwood smuggler and mass-murderer Veerappan. The film, titled Veerappan, will hit theatres on the same day as Kashyap’s Raman Raghav on May 27.

RGV even went a step ahead and said he wants the ‘best villain to win.’

@kamaalrkhan I said between Veerappan and Ramanraghav May the best villain win ..u are taking out different meanings

As for Kashyap, he’s been relatively low-key on Twitter, and even otherwise in life. Sources close to the director say that post the abysmal response to Bombay Velvet, the director has retreated into a shell and “will be seen tracing his indie roots” with his interpretation of Raman Raghav, a notorious serial-killer who went on a killing-spree in Mumbai in the mid '60s.

However, the film is set in the present and features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role with Vicky Kaushal (Masaan) playing cop. As for Veerappan, Varma tweeted out a list of figures that paint a terrifying picture of the damage the dreaded bandit inflicted.

He killed 97 policemen,184 people and 900 elephants..734 crores were spent to capture him @veerappanfirstlook pic.twitter.com/fiqjYZujdp